Fakers
by NarniaGurl
Summary: Lucy has to pretend around Caspian that she doesn't love him, and she has to pretend she doesn't hate him around everyone else. Third category is drama. Rated K  plus for minor violence. Movieverse. Warning: Chp. 3 has teenage girl stuff
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! This is my first fanfic, but it took me awhile to formulate the idea. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful C.S. Lewis.**

Chapter 1

Lucy looked at the young prince with her arms crossed. He was handsome, he was charming, but he could be full of himself sometimes. At least, that's what it seemed like to Lucy. Ok fine, Lucy had just met the guy, but he seemed like the type of person who was cocky and stuck up. I mean, he just attacked the high king for crying out loud! Ok, he didn't know that Peter was _the _Peter from the golden age, but still, he attacked her brother for showing self-defense towards an enemy. Ok, the minotaur wasn't an enemy now, but it had been in their days, it was an honest mistake on Peter's part and Caspian should have known that.

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted when her siblings started walking away. Lucy trotted after them so as not to get left behind in the now unknown forest. Peter and Caspian walked at the front discussing plans for future battles, though it looked more like an argument to Lucy. They were followed by Susan and Edmund and they were being tailed by Trumpkin, Nikabrik, and Trufflehunter.

"So, what are they like?" Trufflehunter asked Trumpkin. Trumpkin said something about them being complainers and as stubborn as mules in the morning.

"Oh, so you like 'em then," Nikabrik commented. Trumpkin paused for a brief second.

"Well enough."

Lucy looked at Reepicheep who was walking beside her and smiled at the furry warrior. At least Trumpkin respected them, now if only Caspian would to.

When the trees finally ended and the party had a clear view of the How, Lucy gasped in amazement. It was nothing like she remembered it to be, but it was still a magnificent sight. They approached the area where the stone table had once stood and Lucy couldn't help but wonder where it had gone or how it had been moved. They walked towards the entrance of the How and paused in front of the long walkway that led into the wide opening. The four Pevensies started walking with Susan and Peter in the middle and Lucy and Edmund on either side. Caspian waited a few seconds before he followed after them. The whole experience of walking into the How, though a brief event, brought back something familiar to Lucy that had existed in the old Narnia. The magic of the situation made her feel at home and that she knew this place like the back of her hand. But this feeling soon diminished when she saw the inside of the How. It was a twisting maze that Lucy thought would take months to figure out. Caspian stepped in front of them and took a torch off the wall and led the way. Go figure, he _had _to lead them because he was obviously smarter. As if Peter couldn't figure out where they were supposed to go by following the sound of hammers on metal as dwarves crafted shining pieces of armor and glittering weapons.

They finally arrived in a large room that was dimly lit by torches and rather stuffy feeling. Dwarves pounded away on pieces of metal as they made armor and weapons. Susan instantly ran to the other side of the room and she soon disappeared into another tunnel. Why Susan did that will never be known.

"It may not be what you are used to, but it is defensible," Caspian said as he led them through the room to survey the work of the dwarves. Lucy was about to make a comment on how obvious Caspian was being, but she was interrupted by Susan.

"Peter," she called from the other side of the room, "you may want to see this."

Peter and Caspian started walking over towards Susan and Edmund followed close behind. Lucy trotted after them, stopping every now and then to admire the beautiful craftsmanship of the weapons the dwarves were making. When she finally reached the tunnel, she stopped with surprise. Everybody was just gaping at the wall looking like a bunch of idiots. Caspian stood there awkwardly behind them. Lucy tried to suppress her giggles as she looked at her sibling's faces. Caspian noticed her and gave her a quick smiled. Lucy's amused face disappeared immediately and she looked at Caspian coldly. She couldn't help but notice how surprised and somewhat hurt Caspian was at her expression. _Hah!_ She thought to herself, _He cares what I think of him... And I care that he cares because?..._ She shook her thoughts away and turned to the wall to see what her siblings were looking at. What she saw surprised her. There were drawings of four people, two boys and two girls, standing beside four thrones. They were dressed formally and each had something in their hands, except for the younger boy. Lucy recognized the drawings as them holding their gifts from Father Christmas and standing beside their thrones. Lucy looked at the painting of Edmund and couldn't help but feel bad for him. He had no present and even his face in the painting looked a little disappointed. Lucy then looked at the painting of Peter. He had his sword in one hand and his shield in the other and there was a look on his face of leadership and compassion. Lucy looked at Susan's painting and thought the artist had captured her looks better than any of the other Pevensie's. Her long dark hair hung down one shoulder and she held her quiver full of arrows and her bow in one and hand and the horn in the other. Lucy thought that whoever drew the pictures must have been madly in love with Susan or something because the detail was incredible. Then Lucy looked at the picture of herself. It was plain, very, very plain. She had on a plain blue dress and she had a belt on that held her cordial. The silver crown could barely even be seen, it was as if the artist had forgotten she was a queen. Lucy felt anger boil inside of her. Is this how Narnia now saw her? A child who went around giving people drops of her cordial when they needed it? The dagger wasn't even there! Did Narnia forget that she was a queen and a warrior?

"It's us," Susan said, disrupting Lucy's thoughts.

"What is this place?" Lucy asked Caspian, trying hard to disguise her anger with the sweet, innocent voice of a child that everybody now apparently expected her to have.

"I don't know," Caspian said simply. Lucy rolled her eyes, of course he didn't know, he doesn't know anything.

Caspian grabbed his torch off the wall where he had placed it earlier and began leading them deeper into the How. Peter, Susan, and Edmund made a line and followed him. Before Lucy fell into line with them, she glanced at one more painting. It was of a fawn with a red scarf standing under a lamp post with snow on it while holding an umbrella. Lucy brushed her finger against the painting and a tear fell down her cheek as she remembered once again that Mr. Tumnus was gone for good.

Lucy shook herself and ran after the others before she got lost in the large stone maze. She sighed and muttered under her breath,

"I wish you were here Mr. Tumnus, at least _you_ treated me like a queen and warrior, the queen and warrior I was and still am."

She finally caught up with the rest of them and stopped in her tracks. She was standing in the entrance of a large, dark room that she could barely see in to. Caspian walked over to an object that looked something like a trough, only a lot taller, and put his torch in it. The flame instantly traveled around a semi-circle trail of something flammable and lit up the whole room. When Lucy could see more clearly, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She saw before her the stone table, still cracked in two, standing in the middle of the room. There were pillars all around it that had crumbled and broken from the long years of not being tended to. Also, right behind it, carved into the wall, was the great lion, Aslan himself. He had a gentle and loving look on his face that made Lucy's heart break. She stepped forward towards the stone table solemnly. She could hear Susan following slowly behind her. Lucy put a hand on the table sadly. She suddenly turned around to face Susan. Both of the girls remembered the night they had seen Aslan die as he sacrificed himself for Edmund. This stone had sentimental value to them. They had spent the night sleeping on it holding Aslan's dead body. They had been there when it broke in two and when Aslan resurrected.

"He must know what he's doing," Lucy said, her voice cracking as the tears threatened to spill over the rim of her eyes. Susan was silent and looked up at the carving of Aslan.

"I think it's up to us now," Peter said loudly so they could all hear. Lucy didn't like that idea very much; it was Aslan who made everything happen, they couldn't rely on themselves. She looked back over at the carving. _Aslan, _she thought, _we need you, when will you come back?_

**Author's Note: So did you like it? A new take on Caspian and Lucy's relationship isn't it? At least, as far as I know. If anybody wrote a story like this I'm dreadfully sorry and did not steal your idea, we just think alike. Anyways, please tell me if I made any mistakes, constructive criticism is very much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters, they all belong to C.S. Lewis.**

Chapter 2

Lucy was sitting on top of the How where the look outs stood. Of course, she wasn't in there way, she knew how important it was for them to have their full attention on the surrounding area. Lucy sighed. It appeared that this whole situation was harder than she thought it would be. The telmarines, Miraz, and even the situation with Caspian. She had mixed feelings about that boy, one minute she hated him with every fiber in her body, then she couldn't wait to see him.

As if an answer to her thoughts, Caspian sat down next to her. Lucy shifted her weight uneasily, ending up in the same position she had been in before.

"Hey," Caspian said.

"Hi," Lucy replied, sounding a lot colder than she meant. Caspian looked at her curiously.

"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked simply. Lucy kicked her bare feet nervously as they dangled off the side of the How.

"I don't hate you," she said quietly. Caspian sighed with relief. Lucy realized what she was saying and searched her mind for something else to say.

"I absolutely despise you," she said harshly. _That was not supposed to happen..._ she thought to herself. Capsian looked both surprised and hurt by what she said.

"But why?" he asked.

"Because, you think that you can control everything. You need to realize that we are above you and that Peter is in charge now. You may be used to controlling everything because you lived your entire life in a castle with servants to do your bidding and now the old Narnians listen to you because they think you can bring peace. First of all, you can't, only Aslan can bring peace to Narnia. And second, you need to listen to Peter, he's done this kind of thing before and he knows what he's doing." Lucy looked at Caspian hard, barely seeing his shocked expression.

"You sound very wise for a kid," he said casually. Lucy felt rage building up inside of her. Not only did he not listen to what she had just said, but he thought of her as a child to. She stood up and pointed an accusing finger at Caspian.

"I may look like a kid, but I'm just in the body of one. I'm a queen and a warrior. Do you honestly think they called Susan the Gentle because she was a master archer that went to war and used her archery skills to kill hundreds? No! They called her the gentle because she hated war and never went to battle unless the situation called for it. And do you think that every time a suitor came that she didn't like she shot him with her bow and arrow? Again, no! She turned them down gently and if the situation called for it had them escorted away. Do you think I was called the Valiant because I stayed at home and healed people with my cordial? No! Not only was I called the Valiant because I had a firm faith in Aslan, but also because I went to battle with Peter and Edmund while Susan stayed home at Cair Paravel to rule." Lucy was breathing hard at the end of this speech and Caspian was looking at her dumbfounded.

"But what did you fight with? All Father Christmas gave to you was the cordial," he said finally. Lucy's anger built.

"He did not just give me the cordial! He gave me this dagger," she said as she pulled out her silver dagger from its sheathe. "And I'm very skilled with it," she said in a threatening tone. Caspian, who was also standing by now, started backed away from her slightly. Lucy continued, "I fought with knives and swords up close, and from far away I threw daggers and when I was too far away for my daggers to be accurate, I used a bow and arrow. I was as good as Susan if not better with the bow and arrow. Stop looking at me like that!" Lucy was nearly screaming by now and some of the look outs looked over at the two worriedly. Caspian had his head cocked to the side and was smiling at Lucy. It looked like he was admiring her, and that's nearly what he was doing.

"Why? Does it bother you?" he said, taking a step closer.

Lucy put her dagger back in its sheathe when she saw Caspian coming closer. "Yes, very much so," she said simply.

"Well then, I'm about to get on your nerves," he said slyly, his nose almost touching hers now. Lucy was breathing hard, her heart skipped a beat with excitement. _Oh my gosh! Stop it Lucy! You hate him, you hate him... Oh who am I kidding, you love him. No you don't! _Lucy continued to argue with herself, but she saw Caspian leaning closer. _It's inevitable now, he's going to kiss me,_ Lucy thought to herself. Caspian paused right in front of her face.

"I hate you to," he said quietly, then he brushed past her and walked back into the How. Lucy realized he had seen right through her and that all the hate had been a cover for how she really felt towards him. Either that or he was just trying to get on her nerves because he actually did hate her. Lucy decided to go with the last one. The last thing she needed was drama on this trip to Narnia, but acting like she hated him would take a lot of faking. At that point, Lucy decided to become a faker.

**Ok, the plot has really begun now! I hope you like this chapter!** **I apologize if it seemed too fast, but I really wanted to get another chapter of my story up so I can really start the plot. I'm just impatient like that, hehe :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks again for the reviews! I'm sorry I've taken so long in updating... I would just like to apologize if Lucy seemed OOC in the last chapter, but this will hopefully resolve that. Also, about the whole movieverse thing, when I say movieverse I mean that the character's looks and the series of events are the same, but in this story, just picture Caspian a little younger than Susan but older than Edmund. So just imagine the Caspian from the movie a little younger. Sorry, I guess I should have said that in the first place.**

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters.**

Chapter 3

Lucy stormed through the halls of the How, angry tears threatening to spill over the rim of her eyes. Why was this all so hard? She just didn't understand. She felt like crying, screaming, and punching someone all at the same time. She stopped in her tracks and sighed. _What is happening to me?_ She thought to herself. She slumped against the wall and slid down so she was sitting. She put her head in her hands and started crying.

When Lucy had been crying for nearly ten minutes, she thought she could feel the presence of someone standing over her. She looked up and saw Peter through her blurry eyes. She looked back down, ashamed of the state her brother was seeing her in.

"What's wrong Lu?" Peter asked as he sat down across from her, his back against the opposite wall. Lucy sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know Peter. Why do you ask anyways?" She knew once she asked that question how silly it was.

"Well for one thing, you're bawling your eyes out, more than you did when we didn't believe you about Narnia. And you also screamed your head off at Caspian for no good reason," Peter replied. Lucy felt the blood rush to her face.

"Oh you heard that," she said embarrassed by her actions. Peter raised an eyebrow at her mischievously.

"With the echo in this thing, you can hear almost anything, even if it is outside right in front of an entrance to a tunnel." Lucy sighed again.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, shame overtaking her whole being. "He just really made me mad."

"How so?"

"Well for one thing, he doesn't respect you as the High King, and he thinks of me as a child," Lucy said, her anger rising again as she reminded herself of why she hated him so much.

"That's not excuse for your actions," Peter said sternly. "He's no friend of mine, but we must respect him if we wish to earn his in return."

"But it's common sense! He should know that we overlord him," Lucy said loudly, forgetting about the dangerous echo.

"It doesn't matter, that gives us no excuse to yell at him," Peter said, his own voice rising. Lucy slumped back again, giving up the fight.

"Now," Peter continued, "I want you to apologize to Caspian and then apologize to everyone at the next meal and say that everything between you two is alright."

"But what if he doesn't accept my apology?" Lucy asked coldly, not liking the idea of being nice to Caspian.

"It doesn't matter, you can't let anyone know how bad it is between you two, that will cause tension in the army and that could effect how they work in battle. Do you understand?" Peter looked hard at his sister, but Lucy was looking down at her hands folded in her lap. She nodded, not trusting her voice anymore. Peter relaxed a little and leaned his head against the wall tiredly.

"We have to do this Lucy, we have to make this work," he said, and Lucy was surprised at how unsure his voice was.

"Now don't get all discouraged on me!" She said, standing up for emphasis. "If I need to set things right with Caspian to get this army back in line, then that's what I will do." Then she walked away and Peter smiled. So it seemed his planned had worked after all.

"You are a very good actor Peter," he muttered to himself.

Lucy skipped into the armory and saw Susan talking to a dwarf in a corner. She walked over to them just in time to see the dwarf hand Susan some strips of leather.

"What are those for?" Lucy asked once the dwarf had walked away.

"It's that time of the month," Susan said.

"Oh," Lucy said, pitying her sister and the bad timing. Susan shrugged.

"I'm used to it by now," she said. Then she tossed Lucy a small pile.

"What are these for?" Lucy asked, her lip curling up in disgust.

"You know you were your age when you started in the Golden Age," Susan said simply. Lucy sighed.

"I doubt I'll start now," she said. Susan shook her head stubbornly.

"You never know and it always pays to be prepared." Lucy rolled her eyes and threw the strips on the floor.

"Suit yourself," Susan said as she gathered the scattered strips. "So what was going on with you and Caspian?" she asked when she had slipped all the leather into a pouch by her side.

"Oh, I just got mad at him," Lucy said, shifting uncomfortably, not wanting to talk about it. Susan ignored her sister's obvious discomfort and pressed on.

"What about?" She asked. Lucy shrugged.

"I just got mad at his disrespectful attitude."

"But you sounded really upset," Susan said, not convinced. Lucy just shrugged again.

"I don't know what came over me," she replied simply.

"Puberty," Susan said quietly so only Lucy could hear. Lucy blushed madly.

"Susan!" She hissed. Susan just giggled at her sister's brief rage. "Whatever," Lucy said, "do you know where Caspian is?"

"He's in the room where all the dwarves are making the armor and things," Susan said, waving her hand in the direction of said room. Lucy nodded her thanks and trotted down the right tunnel.

In a few minutes, Lucy had reached the proper room. She spotted Caspian talking to a Dwarf and showing him what looked like plans for a new sword, but Lucy couldn't see very well in the dim light. She walked over to him timidly.

"Caspian?" she said quietly when she was at his elbow. Caspian jumped and quickly tucked the piece of parchment into a pouch.

"What do you want?" he said with a scowl.

"I need to talk to you in private," Lucy replied, ignoring the way he had just spoken to her. He thought about it for a second then nodded. Lucy walked to an empty corner of the room and Caspian followed her. She stopped when she was sure that nobody could hear them.

"Look, I'm really really sorry about how I yelled at you," she said sincerely, looking up into Caspian's eyes. She instantly knew that was a mistake, for she was getting lost in his gaze and she was finding it hard to breathe.

"I don't know if I can ever forgive you," he said, and it felt like someone had just stabbed her in the heart. She pushed away her emotions and replaced them with anger.

"Look, I don't like you, that's very obvious. And I'm pretty sure that you don't like me, but we need everyone to think we're getting along. My brother told me that if we fight it will cause tension in the army and that will effect their performance in battle," she said somewhat harshly. "So please. I don't blame you for not wanting to forgive me, but we need to act like everything's fine. Please" Caspian looked at her and his gaze softened.

"Alright," he said. Lucy smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you." Caspian just stood there for a second, but soon he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and returned the hug. Lucy pulled away and looked up at him.

"Maybe you're not as bad as I thought you were after all," she said. Caspian smiled at her warmly.

"Hah!" She laughed teasingly, "you thought I was telling the truth, but I still don't like you! But I was just showing you how good I was at acting like I liked you." The way she said it wasn't in a mean way, more like a friendly teasing but still serious way. Caspian knew she meant every word she said, but he also knew that she was simply being playful. Lucy started dancing around and Caspian couldn't help but laugh at her energy, then she stopped when she felt something her sister had been warning her about since she was 8.

"What's wrong?" Caspian asked, slightly worried.

"Um, I have to go," Lucy said quickly before running off. Caspian watched her disappear into a tunnel but he could still hear her yell, "Hey Susan! Give me one of those strips of leather!" Caspian laughed again.

"Well that would explain a lot."

**So? What'd you think? I hope that fixed Lucy's OOC attitude in the last chapter. And sorry to any boys that might be reading this story but this was more of a girl chapter. Anywho, thanks for reading and reviews are welcome as always!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi all! I am sooooooo sorry that it has taken me this long to update. Things have been hectic with school and all. Well I would just like to thank you all for the reviews, they have been so encouraging to me and I am so happy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters, they all belong to C.S. Lewis.**

Caspian joined the four sovereign's circle in the large room that served as a mess hall. Edmund and Peter had their shields piled with their own food and the girl's. Lucy was sitting next to Peter and was eating off of his shield and Susan was sitting next to Edmund and eating off of his. Caspian sat down on the other side of Peter next to Susan and the older queen smiled at him in greeting. Caspian felt the blood rush to his face and if the light hadn't been so dim he would have seen Susan's cheeks do the same.

"Alright Lucy, you should say something now," Peter said, leaning over towards Lucy. She nodded and stood up slowly.

"Attention everyone!" she said loudly, not yelling, just projecting really well. Caspian looked up in surprise at the power in her voice. Who knew that that small frame could emit something as strong as that voice! The whole room fell quiet and everybody looked over at her with the same looks of surprise that Caspian had. Caspian studied Lucy's face carefully in the poor light, but she looked so frightened that Caspian wanted to jump up and make her speech for her, but he knew the apology must come from her. "I would just like to apologize to anybody who heard my fight with Caspian. I was stupid and wrong and I am genuinely sorry. Caspian and I talked and we worked everything out and there should be no more fights between us. Again, I deeply apologize."

A murmur went through the room as Narnians who hadn't heard the fight asked others what it was about. Lucy sat back down and her face was white. Peter patted her on the back comfortingly.

"You did good Lu," he said quietly. Lucy smiled slightly and looked down at her food. She just continued to stare at it as everybody continued eating. Caspian couldn't help but notice how sick she looked.

"I think I'm going to go lie down," she said as she stood up. The other four looked up at her with curiosity and worry as she walked down one of the tunnels. Caspian stared at his food and looked over at Lucy's, then back at his. He suddenly reached over Peter's shield and took Lucy's food and put it on his shield next to his food. He stood up and carried his shield down the tunnel Lucy had just disappeared down. He followed the tunnel and came upon the drawings of old Narnia. He looked at the picture of Lucy and noticed what she had that first day here. It was so plain, like the artist didn't care about her at all. He felt a pang of pity well up in his heart and began to somewhat understand why she was so upset. He kept walking until he came upon the room with the stone table in it and, sure enough, there was Lucy sitting on the other side facing the carving of Aslan. He could see her dark red head poking up behind the stone.

"Not quite lying down, but I suppose sitting works too," Caspian said, breaking the solemn silence that seemed to fill the room and make it hard to breathe. Lucy looked up at him as he came around the table towards her.

"What do you want?" she said shortly but quiet enough so it wouldn't echo down the tunnel. Caspian held out the shield to her.

"You left your food and you're going to need all the strength you can get," he said with a smile. Lucy looked at him blankly and he took her silence for agreement. He sat down next to her and set the shield in between them. Lucy slowly started eating, but as her appetite obviously grew she began stuffing her mouth with food.

"So what happened back there?" Caspian asked in between bites.

"Isn't it pretty obvious? I apologized to everyone like Peter told me to," Lucy said as she stuffed more food in her mouth.

"No, I mean why didn't you eat all your food? Is something wrong?" Caspian asked, rephrasing his previous question. Lucy looked down at her hands and started twiddling her thumbs.

"That was just really hard for me," Lucy said after awhile.

"How could it be hard? You're a queen after all, I'm sure you've spoken to larger crowds before," Caspian replied.

"It wasn't the crowd," Lucy said while shaking her head. "It was the apologizing part. I've never done something so bad that I had to apologize to my whole kingdom. I know everybody thinks I'm humble and all, but I have a little bit of pride and on this trip all of it is just slipping away." Caspian nodded his head in understanding.

"I don't think we can afford to care about our pride right now," he said, trying to comfort her. Lucy looked up at him and her eyes pierced him through the heart.

"Why don't you try listening to your own advice?" she asked, her words sending a shot of guilt through him. He looked down and was unable to speak.

"Well, anyways. How are you doing?" Lucy asked as she leaned up against the stone table. Caspian looked up at her in confusion at her sudden mood swing. She noticed his confused look and said, "I'm a girl." That was enough for Caspian.

"Oh, well, I um… Can I tell you a secret?" he said suddenly. He knew that Lucy didn't like him, but he knew that she could keep a secret also. She leaned forward and nodded. "Well, I really like your sister a lot, do you know of any ways that I could impress her?"

Caspian saw a look go through Lucy's eyes that he didn't understand, but it soon disappeared and she smiled sweetly.

"She likes poetry, maybe you should write her a poem," Lucy suggested.

"I'm not a good poet," Caspian said skeptically.

"It's easy. Just tell me some of the things you love about her," Lucy said encouragingly. Caspian sat and thought for awhile.

"I love her eyes, they shine brighter than all the stars in the sky," he said after contemplating for a few moments. "Her face is beautiful and she has a great personality. Her smile makes me feel happy the rest of the day and whenever she walks by I just have to stop and look at her."

"Ok," Lucy said absentmindedly as she tried to sort out her thoughts. She took a piece of paper out of the pouch that hung by her belt next to her cordial and a small pen she had taken with her from England. She began writing some stuff down and Caspian just watched her. When she was done she put the pen down and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Your eyes shine brighter than all the stars in the sky. It's true, for I can not tell a lie," she said, reading the piece of paper. "Your face is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…" she trailed off trying to find the next line.

"And you have a wonderful personality," Caspian said quietly. Lucy beamed at him and picked up the pen and wrote the line down before she forgot it.

"Your smile lights up my whole day," Caspian continued. "And when you pass by… You keep me at bay!" Lucy was scribbling down words as fast as she could. She had a huge smile on her face as she came up with an ending.

"Though I'm one out of many who have fallen for you, I have a small hope…" she looked up at Caspian and their eyes met, "that you love me too." Caspian looked at her shining face and realized that those paintings of her in the tunnel did not do her justice. She was beautiful and anybody who said otherwise would have him to deal with.

"Thank you," Caspian said after a long silence.

"Don't mention it," Lucy replied with a shrug. Caspian smiled and stood up. He grabbed his shield and the piece of paper that Lucy handed to him.

"I'll see you later," he said before he walked down the tunnel out of the table room.

"Though I'm one out of many who have fallen for you," Lucy whispered once he was gone. "I have an extremely small hope that you, Caspian, love me like I love you."

**Sorry if the ending seemed a little fluffy, but trust me, this whole poem thing is actually a big part of the plot. Anywho! I hope you like this chapter! As always, constructive criticism is appreciated but don't say mean stuff just to make me feel bad because you don't like the story. Hehe, well anyways, I hope to update soon, I'm pretty much just seeing when I have time and stuff so yeah, it might be soon and it might be another month but I will update, I promise.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everybody! Sorry for not updating for awhile, I've been really busy. Have you guys seen the new Narnia movie? If you haven't… please check into a mental hospital because there is something wrong with you! It is one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen! Ok, maybe I'm being a bit biased, but still, GO SEE IT! Now that I'm done with my rant, here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters.**

Lucy was sitting on the stone table while everybody else was gathered around to discuss their plans. After the lookout had come with the news that there was a Telmarine scout, everybody knew that they had to act now. The army was divided, one side wanted to stay in the How and the other wanted to attack Miraz's castle. Lucy was in the middle of the room, not being on either side.

"But we have the advantage here," Caspian said to Peter as the two kings debated over what to do.

"If we dig in we can hold them off indefinitely," Susan said, standing up from her seat. Lucy couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed with her sister. She felt like Susan was only on Caspian's side because she found him handsome and not because she thought it was a good plan. Peter could see this too. He had a hard, questioning look on his face as he stared at the older of his sisters.

"I for one feel safer underground," Trufflehunter spoke up to fill the awkward silence. Peter ignored the badger and looked back at Caspian.

"Look," he said, "we appreciate what you've done here, but this isn't a fortress, it's a tomb."

"Yes and if they're smart the Telmarines will just wait and starve us out," Edmund put in logically.

"We could collect nuts!" Pattertwig exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, and throw them at the Telmarines," Reepicheep stated sarcastically. "Shut up!" He turned to face Peter and looked the High King in the eyes. "I think you know where I stand sire." Peter turned towards Glenstorm the centaur.

"If I get your troops in, will you cover the guards?" he asked. Glenstorm looked back and forth between Peter and Caspian for a few moments, then his eyes rested on the High King.

"Or die trying my liege," he said with a slight bow. Lucy had been silent this whole time, but this madness could go on no longer. If nobody would say something then she would.

"That's what I'm worried about," she said timidly. Peter turned to her, almost surprised, for he had forgotten that she was sitting there.

"Sorry?" he asked, not used to Lucy going against him.

"Well we're all acting like there's only two options, dying here or dying there," she replied.

"No you haven't really been listening Lu," Peter said, treating her like she didn't know what she was talking about.

"No you're not listening," Lucy said, her voice growing louder as her anger built. She took a deep breath so as not to blow her top in front of the army. "Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch Peter?" she looked hard at her brother and oldest and youngest stared at each other for a few seconds.

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough," Peter said sternly and then walked briskly from the room before Lucy could reply.

The room filled with an awkward silence as everybody stared at Lucy. She ignored everybody and just stared at the tunnel through which her brother had disappeared. They couldn't do this without Aslan and Peter knew that. Lucy knew that her brother wanted to prove himself to Narnia, but proving himself to Aslan by waiting patiently for His arrival was far more important.

"Well," Susan said, breaking the silence, "I'm going to go get ready for the raid." She looked at Caspian expectantly. "Not like I want to go or anything," she said flirtatiously. Caspian smiled at her and Lucy could tell from his eyes that his heart was melting. Lucy looked away, almost in pain, from the sight. She just couldn't bear to see the boy she was in love with falling for her older sister. _Just keep acting like you hate him, then they'll be a lot less drama you won't have to deal with,_ she kept telling herself, but she knew deep down inside that she was just creating more drama. Why was it so hard to fake her feelings? All she had to do was criticize all of Caspian's decisions. But even that was too hard. He had great ideas, and she pretty much was on his side about staying in the How even though their goals were different. She knew it would be easier to get along with him, to tell him how she felt. But what if he didn't love her back? He was falling hard for her sister; of course he would never love her. And that was why she had to pretend, because she couldn't deal with getting rejected by Caspian. It had nothing to do with drama; it had everything to do with her fear.

Lucy wandered down the hallways of the How absentmindedly. Normally, she would be readying herself for the battle, but she would not take part in this fight even if Peter would let her. She rounded a corner and saw Caspian pacing back and forth nervously in front of Susan's room. He seemed to be mumbling something to himself. Lucy ducked back around the corner before he noticed her and peered around the sharp edge of the wall at him. He looked at the door a couple times and finally knocked on it. She heard a faint "come in" and he entered the room, leaving the door open. Of course Susan and Lucy had been given rooms with doors on them for privacy since they were two of the few women in the army. It would never do for them to have rooms with no doors, I don't think I have to explain why and I really would rather not.

Anyways, Lucy slipped noiselessly over to the door and peeked in. She saw Susan checking her arrows and making sure everything was in place, including her hair. _You're going to battle not a feast in Cair Paravel,_ Lucy thought to herself. She watched as Caspian approached her older sister and she saw Susan smile at him.

"What can I do for you Caspian?" she asked.

"Well, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for awhile, but I haven't had a chance until now," he said nervously. _Not now you idiot,_ Lucy thought while mentally slapping her forehead. Caspian cleared his throat and looked at a piece of paper that he was holding in his hand.

"Your eyes shine brighter than the stars in the sky,

It's true for I can not tell a lie.

Your face is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen

And you have a wonderful personality.

Your smile lights up my whole day,

And when you pass by you keep me at bay.

Though I'm one out of many who have fallen for you

I have a small hope that you love me too."

He looked up at Susan and Lucy knew that his eyes were shining with admiration, even though all she could see was the back of his head.

"Oh Caspian," Susan whispered so Lucy had to strain to hear, "that was so sweet, but not a great time. We're getting ready to storm a castle, I just can't worry about this sort of thing right now." She smiled sadly at him and pat him on the shoulder before she brushed by and left her room. Lucy pressed herself into the shadows so Susan wouldn't know she had been eavesdropping.

Once Susan was gone, she slipped into the room and saw that Caspian hadn't moved a bit.

"So how'd it go?" she asked, acting like she had no idea of Susan's reaction. Caspian turned around and glared at Lucy. If looks could kill, Lucy would be on the ground having convulsions. She backed up a bit, suddenly scared.

"You said she liked poetry," he hissed angrily at her.

"She does, you were the one who decided to tell it to her two hours before a siege on a castle that nobody has taken before," she said with a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood. Caspian took her laughter as a mockery and grabbed her by the wrist. Lucy struggled at first to free herself but didn't call for help for fear the army would hear her and know that things were not alright between her and Caspian. She gave up trying to escape since Caspian's grip showed no sign of getting lighter anytime soon.

He led her deeper into the How and at first he had to forcibly drag her, but she eventually submitted and followed after him, trotting to keep up with his pace. She knew that he was going to yell at her and didn't want anybody to hear them, that was why he was taking her so deep into the How. They eventually came to a room with a door and there was nobody else in sight. Caspian yanked open the door and nearly threw Lucy inside. He shut the door behind them and spun Lucy around by her shoulders to face him.

"How heartless are you?" he asked while glaring at her. Lucy raised her eyebrows and rubbed her shoulders.

"Excuse me?" she said, growing angry as well.

"You just don't want your sister to be happy," he explained, his voice rising slightly.

"And she would be happy with you because?..." Lucy asked, still attempting to lighten the mood.

"Why is this all a joke to you? You just want to break your sister's heart and I know why," Caspian said. Lucy crossed her arms, deciding to play along.

"Ok then, let's say I don't want my own sister to be happy, why would I want that?" she said, growing very annoyed with Caspian.

"Well, you're upset because she gets so much attention. Everybody loves her and, guess what, you being mean to her isn't going to work because people will just feel sorry for her and then they will hate you. And do you know another reason why they'll always love her and not you, because she's so gorgeous and you're not," he said haughtily. He knew that he had just broken his own promise, but he was just too angry to care anymore. He knew he had told himself that Lucy was beautiful, but now he just wanted to hurt her. After all, she had all but ruined his chances with Susan. But when he looked into her eyes, filling up with tears, he regretted what he had said. He knew that Lucy would never want to hurt her sister, but he didn't want to admit that he was in the wrong. He kept his hard glare though, not willing to let go of his pride and apologize to her. Lucy took a step towards him and looked up into his eyes, not angrily but her gaze was hard all the same.

"I love my sister, and her being so much more beautiful than me will never lessen my love for her," she said quietly before brushing past him and leaving the room. Caspian stood where he was, wondering what he had just done. If he had only turned and saw the small form of a young queen put her face in her hands and burst into silent tears, he would have known exactly what he did. He made the girl he didn't know he loved cry.

**So? Please don't hate Caspian. After all, how would you feel if nobody listened to your ideas and then when you told somebody you loved them they pretty much turned you down? Of course, that gives him no excuse to blow his top and take his anger out on somebody else, but we saw how angry he can get in the movie. Anyways, sorry if this chapter was confusing, but Lucy and Caspian are just trying to figure things out in this chapter, more Lucy than Caspian because Caspian is still an oblivious idiot. Anyways, constructive criticism is appreciated! I'll update as soon as I can!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody! Wow, long time no write. I'm real sorry for the wait, but school is being stupid. Haha, no that's just me. Anyways, keep the reviews coming, I love constructive criticism. I honestly did not think people would like my story at all so all the positive reviews have really been encouraging to me. I've been doing some more writing outside of fanfiction and I've been focusing on my description because I have trouble portraying the image I get in my mind. I hope everything comes across clearly and you enjoy this next chapter! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor every will I, own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters therein. (I am so official :D)**

Lucy stood outside as she watched Peter and Caspian lead the army away, the long train of armor-clad Narnians stretching across the vast plain towards the dense forest. She stared after them with a blank expression on her face, ignoring the worried glances she received from Trufflehunter and the other Narnians who stayed behind. She felt like her heart was slowly being wringed out of all life and happiness that had once existed inside it; she just couldn't get Caspian's words out of her head.

"Because she's so gorgeous and you're not," echoed inside of her mind until she felt she would scream in frustration, but she kept her composure and her emotions remained bottled up inside of her. Why must she always live in the shadow of her sister? Everywhere she went with Susan young men would simply faun on her and dote upon her every wish, while Lucy just stood awkwardly in the back blending in with the background without even trying. As soon as Lucy's friends saw Susan, they would run to her and act all girly and airheaded just to seem older, which just showed how immature they were in Lucy's opinion. But Susan found it quite pleasant to have people surrounding her all the time and paid no attention to Lucy. Why would people always be so taken up with Susan? When would they take notice of Lucy? _What does Susan have that I don't?_ Lucy thought to herself, and as soon as she did she regretted it. _Beauty, brains, friends, callers, a pile of letters, expensive clothes, jewelry, popularity, everything you don't_ her subconscious screamed at her.

Lucy could take it no longer, she had to vent. She turned on her heel and raced into the How, her dull blue cloak billowing out behind her. Her bare feet hit the stone floor and the pain of the solid ground shot up through her whole leg and into her chest, but she paid it no attention and kept on running. That's all she could do, just run. She ran all the way to the armory, where empty anvils stood eerily in the dim room. She stopped as soon as she entered, her panting making the only noise. The silence pressed in around her until she felt she would suffocate with the stench of it. She made her way through the anvils and the forges, looking around like something would pop out at her in a surprise attack. It was during one of these scans that a rolled up piece of paper propped up on an anvil caught her eye. Images of a certain Telmarine prince showing plans for a sword to a black dwarf as she made her way over to him to apologize flashed before her eyes. Lucy's curiosity got the better of her; she picked up the paper and unrolled it. She studied the crudely drawn plans carefully. It showed a double-edged hand-and-a-half sword with an intricate handle that appeared to have ivy swirling around it and a sheath with the same ivy design descending in a spiral motion around it. All other details couldn't be seen such as the color of the handle or the sheath or what it would be made of, but Lucy somehow knew that the sword would be beautiful and would not be easy to make. She felt like it was meant for her, but she quickly brushed the seemingly ridiculous idea away.

She quickly rolled the plans back up and replaced it against the anvil before continuing on to the next tunnel.

She passed the drawings on the cave wall and brushed her fingers against them wistfully, remembering the Golden Age. Even then people didn't love her as much as they loved Susan; they saw her as one of the boys instead of the beautiful young lady she wished she could be. She just couldn't help it, something always drew her to the freedom of her tomboyish antics, no matter how badly she wanted to quit doing them.

"Aslan," she prayed silently, "I need your help. My mind is on the wrong things and I need you to get it off of them. I need to concentrate on the freeing of Narnia and not on all this love junk. Please help me to be grateful for myself and not to ruin my time home by wishing I was more like Susan." Lucy felt a breeze mysteriously ruffle her hair lightly as a wave of relief washed over her. Her thoughts about Caspian vanished until she had nearly forgotten how he had yelled at her and she no longer was worrying about why people liked Susan so much. A smile touched her lips as she felt the presence of Aslan, despite his absence, and happiness filled her heart once again. She was home, in Narnia, and she was there to restore peace to her home, not to bother herself with emotional issues. She felt she would burst, but no longer with frustration, as happiness filled her very soul. Her smile grew and her feet moved faster and they began to spin her in circles and she danced through the hall. Her heart swelled with a whoop of joy and it grew and grew until it burst from her mouth and joyous laughter filled the table room, which she was now entering. She was home, she was happy, and now she would wait in anticipation for their army to return from raiding Miraz's castle.

**Sorry if this chapter is shorter, like I said I'm working on my description and it took me five times longer to write than most of my chapters have. It also doesn't help that I'm at a bit of a writer's block right now since most of my story ideas happen during the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Anyways, reviews are very much appreciated as always. God bless you all and good night. (Yes I am updating at one in the morning despite having to work tomorrow)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! I am updating sooner than usual. *gasp!* No, I did not wait three months to update! Ladies and gentlemen this is an historic day! Haha, I'm so weird. Anyways, enjoy the next part of this story. We finally get to see into Caspian's mind, muahahahahahaha! *evil grin***

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the character yadda yadda yadda. Man it's getting annoying that I have to put this thing at the beginning of every story, oh well, better than getting sued! :)**

Caspian pressed himself into the ruffling feathers on the griffin's large neck as he tried to slip under the biting wind that rushed past him in a continuous sweep of coldness. He squinted into the dark sky that stretched out before him, trying to make out any sign that the castle was approaching. The only thing he could see was the dull fog that resulted from the overcast weather. He looked to his left and saw the slim figure of Susan pressed against her griffin in perfect form. He admired how her hair billowed out behind her and how her dress flapped against her legs as they squeezed the griffin tightly in an attempt to not fall off, an attempt that proved successful. Everything about her was simply beautiful and perfect, Caspian could think of nothing wrong with her. She was nothing like her little sister. Her visage was spotless and looked like it belonged on a porcelain doll, while Lucy's was freckled and tanned so much that it could be a boy's face. Susan's form was that of a young lady, while Lucy's was in that awkward stage where not everything had fully developed. Susan was tall and strode with confidence, while Lucy was small and walked around with an aura of freedom and childlike playfulness. In the end, Susan was more grown up that Lucy. At least, that's what Caspian thought at the time.

"I sense we are almost there your majesty," Caspian's griffin said as he turned his head to direct his voice at the Telmarine prince, even then the words came out like those of a whisper. Caspian nodded in acknowledgement, trying harder to press himself underneath the wind. He waited in anticipation to prove himself to the ancient royals that he was just as capable as they are in battle. A dozen scenarios went through his mind as he thought of different ways he could be a hero and save them all from certain destruction. Perhaps he could hide and then break them all free once they were captured, but that shouldn't happen in the first place. Maybe he would have the honor of defeating Miraz himself and he would drive his sword through his uncle's chest and end the war before it had even begun. But how could he bring himself to kill his own flesh and blood? It just seemed impossible at the time. Maybe Susan would be in distress and he would swoop in and save her and she would fall in love with him and she would be his queen when this was all over. The thought brought a smile to his lips.

"What are you thinking of?" The griffin asked curiously, seeing the smile on Caspian's face. Caspian jumped out of his daydream in surprise and lost his hold on the griffin. The result was him slipping and sliding over the side of the large animal. He grabbed desperately to the griffin's wing and it cried out in pain as it lost control of its flight. Caspian clung to it for dear life, not daring to look down.

"Let go, let go!" The griffin cried, "Or we'll both fall to our deaths." Caspian hung on anyways, his fingers were frozen in place. He looked down and saw the tall trees hundreds of feet beneath him.

"Let go, I'll catch you," the griffin cried again. Caspian looked at the griffin with fear in his eyes. The two of them were falling faster and faster by the second. Caspian saw there was no other way, he loosened his hold on the griffin's wing and the wind ripped his hand away. He started falling.

His stomach flipped inside out as he turned over to face the ground that was growing ever closer. He spread himself out as much as he could, trying to slow his descent. He looked back up to see all the other griffins flying down to catch him as his own griffin tried to regain balance. He looked down again as the ground was closer than it was before. His life flashed before his eyes as he faced his death. He thought of Trufflehunter, the only Narnian who was actual friendly to him. He thought of Trumpkin, thought he didn't know him very well the dwarf had gone after the Telmarines that were chasing him, risking his own life to save Caspian's. He thought of Peter, who would be so disappointed in him right now. He thought of Edmund, who was probably in a panic about what was going on, or he was absolutely oblivious. He thought of Susan, oh if only she loved him, then he wouldn't quite mind dying. Then he thought of Lucy. What had he done to her? He no doubt hurt her and now he felt guiltier about it than ever. If he had just one chance to correct himself and tell her she was beautiful, then he would take it. But it was too late now, she would always think that he thought she was ugly. All because he blamed her for a stupid mistake he made, and now he couldn't understand why he would be such a jerk. He felt a tear fall over the brim of his eye, but it was whipped off of his face as the wind rushed by him. He felt something that not even his feelings for Susan could match. When he thought of Susan, he thought of how beautiful she was and how much he wanted her to be his. But when he thought of Lucy, he felt happy. He felt like she was important to him and there was a feeling inside of him that he couldn't identify.

He closed his eyes as he waited for the impact against the ground, but instead of feeling a hard thud like he expected, he felt a graceful swooping feeling, like he had fallen on a mountain of feather pillows. He could feel himself rising up into the air. He opened his eyes, not daring to believe he was alive without seeing it himself. He saw the face of Peter, looking angrily at him from his griffin. He turned his head to the right and saw Edmund's face looking over his shoulder at him with a relieved look. He realized he had landed behind Edmund on his griffin and that he was alive.

"You're a clumsy one, that was way to close," Edmund said, forcing a smile. Caspian looked around, trying to slow his heartbeat. He saw his griffin pull up between him and Peter. He was relieved to no longer have to look at the high king's disappointed face. He shakily stood up and jumped. He just missed the griffin, but it reached out with one of its great paws and caught him before he started to take another plummet. It held Caspian between its two front paws with his feet in his two back paws. All the others slid off the side of their griffin to be held in a similar fashion.

"This is funner," Edmund said beside Caspian. He smiled at the prince's face. "C'mon, you gotta admit it's pretty fun."

"Funner isn't even a word Edmund," came Susan's voice as she was lifted up beside him. Caspian smiled at the sight of her and she smiled back and if it had been lighter Caspian would have seen her cheeks turn a bright red.

"This will be easier for us to get off at the castle," Peter said, not caring for the fun of it. Caspian looked ahead and saw the great, walled fortress looming ahead of them. He looked over at Edmund nervously. He was still shaking.

"Take deep breaths," the young king suggested, "you need to be calm and not so shaky when we land." Caspian nodded and closed his eyes. He took in a deep, shaky breath and thought he would break out into tears. He kept his composure and continued to slow his heart by taking deep, long breaths. He opened his eyes once again when he felt the griffin let his legs go. He saw the castle right in front of him, closer than he felt ready for, and he drew his sword. He grabbed the griffin's paw with his free hand and hung down from it as he approached a guard. The guard turned just at the last second and raised his crossbow in terror, but it was too late. Caspian slit his throat and let go of the griffin's paw at the same time. He landed with a thump on the wall of the castle and heard the thump of Peter and Susan behind him. Edmund's griffin took him to one of the towers where they would hopefully make short work of the guard there.

"Let's go," Peter said as he ran forward with Susan in tow. _I guess it's now or never. _Caspian thought, then he ran after them.

**Haha, sorry, this was the best I could do. I'm not entirely sure if that's how they entered the castle, but I don't feel like checking it because then I'd probably have to rewrite it and I'm too lazy. Oh well, I hope you liked this chapter. I admit, it's not one of my best, but I am suffering from a mild case of writer's block and I'm just taking it scene by scene from the movie. I hope I kept everybody in character with Edmund being the goofball (sorta) and Susan being the particular one (about correcting Edmund's grammar) Peter being the proud one (for now) and Caspian wanting to prove himself. Sorry if any of them seem OOC to you, I did the best I could. I know this chapter seemed quite random, but they didn't show the ride to the castle in the movie and it's not like they got there in five minutes. Besides, Caspian is still getting used to talking animals so I thought it was likely he would fall off his griffin instead of just having a knack for that sort of thing, I mean he's a Telmarine for crying out loud. Anyways, I'll update as soon as I can, it should be easier since I'm on spring break now. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ugh, I really need to get used to updating sooner. :P I'm on summer break now, so hopefully I'll be able to get a lot more chapters in, my long-term goal is to finish this story before summer ends, wish me luck! Anyways, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters.**

Lucy sat on the small step at the bottom of the Stone Table. She had her cordial out was fingering the bottle lovingly like it was some ancient treasure, which it was. She looked up when she heard footsteps and the sound of centaurs galloping towards the entrance of the How. Hurriedly, she slipped her cordial into its pouch and rushed toward the entrance. She emerged from the cave and ran up the slope to overlook the field. She saw a small line of Narnians trickling through it towards the How, far less in number than the group that had left the previous night. Trufflehunter looked up at her sadly and they both knew that it had not gone well. Peter was approaching and to say he looked angry would be an understatement, he was absolutely furious!

"What happened?" Lucy asked sympathetically. Peter glared at her.

"Ask him," he spat bitterly, jerking his head back at Caspian.

"Peter," came Susan's gentle voice

"Me?" Caspian asked in surprise, anger evident in his own voice. "You could have called it off, there was still time."

"No there wasn't because of you," Peter replied turning to Caspian and taking an intimidating step towards him. Caspian stayed where he was. "If you had just stuck to the plan, those soldiers might still be alive right now."

"And if you had just stayed here like I suggested they definitely would be," Caspian retorted, his anger growing more intense.

"You called us, remember?" Peter asked rhetorically.

"My first mistake," Caspian muttered.

"No," Peter said while shaking his head, "your first mistake was thinking you could leave these people." He began walking towards the How.

"Hey!" Caspian yelled after him. Peter whirled around on his heal to face the young prince. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia."

"You invaded Narnia," Peter said, pointing an accusing finger at Caspian. "You have no more right to be here than Miraz does." Caspian pushed by the High King and started stalking angrily into the How. "You, him, your father!" Peter called after him, "Narnia's better off without the lot of you." Lucy saw Caspian's face grow from anger to absolute hatred. He let out a blood-curdling yell as he drew his sword on Peter and pointed it at his neck. Peter did likewise.

"Stop it!" came Edmunds voice. The two boys looked over and lowered their swords slightly. What Lucy saw horrified her. Edmund was holding the limp body of a red dwarf who was near death. He was setting him down with Susan's help when Lucy rushed forward between Peter and Caspian, the latter lowering his sword to allow her passage. She knelt beside Trumpkin's body as she took out her bottle of cordial. Trufflehunter, who had miraculously appeared beside her, looked on hopefully as she slipped a drop of the liquid into the red dwarf's mouth. For a brief moment, the world held its breath in anticipation. Lucy wondered if it would still work after 1300 years. Tears welled up in her eyes as fear gripped her heart and in that moment she realized how much Trumpkin meant to her. She let her breath out in relief when she heard him gasp for breath and saw his eyes flutter open. She smiled happily at the DLF.

"Well what are you all looking at," he said harshly to everybody staring at him. Lucy smiled; he was going to be alright. "The Telmarines will be here soon enough." Lucy stood up to follow the rest of the Narnians back into the How. "Thank-you," she heard Trumpkin say. She turned back to him, "pretty little friend." Lucy smiled, wondering if Trumpkin knew just how much that meant to her.

She walked back into the How and wandered through the tunnels absentmindedly. Boredom overtook her as she saw everybody had something to do. She strolled into the armory and looked at all the different weapons and wished that Peter would let her at least practice with them.

"Strange to see a lady who's interested in weapons," a friendly voice behind her said. She jumped in surprise and turned to see who it was. She smiled when she saw Trufflehunter.

"I've always been the odd queen," she admitted cheerfully, feigning a smile.

"Does that bother you?" he asked, a sympathetic look on his long face. Lucy's brow furrowed in surprise.

"Of course not," she said hurriedly. The badger just nodded submissively.

"My apologies, you just seem troubled."

"Trufflehunter," Lucy said guiltily, "don't feel bad, there is nothing wrong with seeing how a friend is doing."

"And if I am your friend, you'd be honest with me wouldn't you?" he asked. Lucy raised her eyebrows in surprise; she did not expect to be backed into a corner by a badger of all beasts.

"Of course," she said timidly.

Trufflehunter stared long and hard at her. "Does being the odd one bother you?" He asked again. Lucy sighed in defeat. She sat down on a nearby bench and Trufflehunter jumped up next to her.

"It's not that I don't like being me, I just wish I was more like Susan," she began. Trufflehunter looked at her intently. "She was always so beautiful and got so many callers and I was just Lucy. They pretty much invented a new adjective to describe me. I actually heard some Narnians say something along the lines of 'that was so Lucy of you to do that' on more than one occasion. I was the one who couldn't be described, I was so dreary. I was a tomboy, going to battle and mastering the use of daggers and swords, but sometimes I felt like people just saw me as the little girl who gave people drops of red juice that made them feel better, I was always the child and was never really taken seriously. I guess it's just a drawback of being the youngest. But through all that, I couldn't help but wonder if I would be treated differently if I was more like Susan, if I looked more like her, if I behaved more like her, and if I spent as much time looking in the mirror as her. I love my sister, but sometimes I can't help but feel jealous of all the attention she got and she still gets. All the boys flirt with her back in England and everybody just ignores me. I know I'm only twelve there, but still, I've seen girls younger than me who have boyfriends. I'm too strange and dull for everybody." She looked down at her hands folded in her lap as tears threatened to spill over the brims of her eyes.

Trufflehunter reached out and place a comforting paw on her shoulder.

"If you ask me," he said, "I would say it's impossible to be dull and strange at the same time. And if you were to ask me again, I'd say strange doesn't exist. There's only unique, and it's good to be unique because if everybody was the same it would be a very dreary world. Aslan made you different, always remember that. By saying you don't like being different, you're pretty much spitting in Aslan's face." With that, he calmly hopped off the bench and left the armory, leaving Lucy dumbstruck that there was such a simple solution to her problem: be content.

Trufflehunter's words echoed through her head. "By saying you don't like being different, you're pretty much spitting in Aslan's face." She had never thought of it like that and the very thought brought her to tears. She bolted out of the room before anybody saw her and fled to her private quarters. She shut the door behind her and fell facedown onto her bed and cried into the pillow.

"Oh Aslan," she wept bitterly, "I'm so sorry I've been so ungrateful. I didn't know I was 'spitting in your face' as Trufflehunter says. Please help me be content so I don't do that to you anymore." She continued to cry, but something changed in her. She felt a calmness she hadn't felt in a very long time. Then she remembered, it was how she felt when she first heard Aslan's name. It gave her comfort and contentment, and she was happy once again.

"Don't doubt your value," she heard the voice of Aslan whisper. She looked up and examined her room, but there was no lion. The words still gave her consolation; she didn't doubt her value, for now. She lay on her bed a few minutes more, but then she got up and started walking to the Table Room. She didn't know why, something was just calling her there. She felt like there was something evil in the air and it seemed to be coming from that room, she didn't like it.

She finally arrived at her destination and what she saw horrified her. Peter was fighting a hag and Edmund was fighting a werewolf while Caspian just stood there reaching out to… She couldn't believe it! It was the White Witch! She rushed over, intending to push Caspian out of the way, but she stopped when she saw Nikabrik over Trumpkin with a dagger out. She pulled her own out and knocked the rusty weapon from the black dwarf's hand. She wrapped her arm around his neck and held her knife to his throat as Trumpkin looked on it complete and utter shock. She pressed harder into Nikabrik's neck, slowly choking the life out of him. Then something awful happened. Lucy didn't know how it did, but she found herself sprawled out on the floor with Nikabrik nearing her with her own dagger. She tried to get away, but she was cornered against a crumbled pillar.

_This is it,_ she thought. Her life flashed before her eyes as fear gripped her heart and squeezed the life out of it. She never imagined this was how she would end, killed by a former ally with her own dagger. But then she heard a terrible noise: the sound of a knife piercing human (or in this case dwarfen) flesh. Nikabrik's eyes went wide and he gasped for breath before he fell to the floor, revealing Trumpkin to be behind him holding the knife Nikabrik once threatened him with. Lucy was breathing hard, feeling very relieved. Trumpkin rushed over to her.

"Are you alright your highness?" he asked worriedly. Lucy nodded, unable to speak. It took her a moment to notice that all their enemies had been defeated and Peter had tackled Caspian to the floor before he made the biggest mistake anybody could make.

"Get away from him!" Peter shouted at the White Witch, as if she could move, she was after all frozen in a gigantic wall of ice. She drew back her hand she had been holding out to Caspian.

"Peter dear," she said as sweetly as she could, "I've missed you." She shoved her hand through the ice once more. "Come, just one drop. You know you can't do this alone." Peter lowered his sword as he looked up at the witch, looking mesmerized.

"Peter, no," Lucy whispered to herself. Trumpkin was looking on in horror as he watched the High King succumbing to temptation. Then something happened that surprised them all. A sword came out of the ice from the other side, having pierced the White Witch's belly. She gasped for breath and looked down in surprise. The ice began to crack.

"No, no," the witch muttered over and over. She tensed up everywhere in pain before letting out one final and painful "No!" as the whole wall shattered and chunks of ice flew everywhere. Trumpkin held his hand in front of Lucy in protection as they both looked on at the amazing sight. Out of the five people in there, they had the best view. Lucy smiled when she saw Edmund's figure standing there with his sword in the air, having stabbed the witch. She was sure he was glad to have defeated the thing that had haunted him all his life. Caspian finally stood up next to Peter and they both looked at the young king.

"I know," Edmund said, looking at Peter, "you had it sorted." And with that he walked away. Lucy looked towards the entrance of the room and saw Susan standing there glaring at Caspian. He looked back at Susan and guilt swept over his face. She glanced over at Lucy, angry that Caspian would put her in danger. Caspian looked down sheepishly, realizing the terrible mistake he had made. Susan shook her head and stalked out of the room angrily. Lucy shot up like a rocket and bolted after her.

**Well I hope that wasn't too long, but I didn't want to make it super short like my recent chapters. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, the conversation between Lucy and Trufflehunter was totally improvised, but it has got to be some of my best work and I'm really proud of it. I really hope you liked this chapter because it's probably one of my favorites to far. Anyways, I'll try to update soon, sometime next week hopefully, so until then, don't doubt your value and have fun with life. :D (I'm so deep!)**


End file.
